Culture doesn’t belong to HR
When I was researching my latest book Detox Your Culture (recently shortlisted for a Business Book of the Year award, get your copy here) I kept encountering the same misconception in all of the case studies I read: that HR departments have full responsibility for day-to-day culture within an organisation and as such, if there was toxicity, then they were to blame.
However, as we’ll see, culture is never solely HR's responsibility (and any seasoned HR Manager would agree!) They can’t be there every minute of every day telling people how to behave, interact and work together
The culture of any team or organisation belongs to everyone that shows up for work each day, regardless of whether they’ve been employed for 5 minutes or 50 years. So where do HR or the People and Culture team fit in then?
HR acts as the cultural architect; drafting strategies, securing the money for learning, tools and evolution, and reporting to leadership on issues that need addressing.
They should lead the process of defining values, ensuring they remain relevant in line with the organisation’s strategy and equip managers with the skills and knowledge to implement them.
They should coordinate pulse surveys and ensure action plans fall to the managers actually responsible for culture, with appropriate consequences for those who don't follow through and improve the daily lives of employees.
Which means that they also have the responsibility to implement policies that safeguard the organisation's reputation and employee safety. They should enforce these when anyone (regardless of title or status) undermines the culture through their actions or behaviours.
They encourage activities that positively evolve culture - including working with facilities on office space (if required) - and ensure fair, equitable pay and working conditions for all.
But when it comes to culture, that's where it ends.
The lived experience - "how we do things around here" - belongs to everyone, with managers having the most direct influence over what people experience day-to-day.
When HR Directors hire me, it's to deliver on their promise to managers - equipping them with the skills to build vibrant cultures (skills they're measured on annually). Forward-thinking HR teams also use the opportunity to sharpen their own skills, as they rarely have time to keep pace with global culture trends and practices.
Those pointing fingers at HR for poor culture can only justifiably do so if HR has neglected to build the foundations I've outlined above. Otherwise, leaders and managers should look in the mirror and at their teams for answers to their culture problems.
Culture doesn't belong to HR, but HR needs to ensure everyone has both the knowledge and skills to create and sustain a workplace worth showing up for, every single day of the week.
